The World Boxing Association (WBA) 96th Convention, that was held in Medellín, Colombia, was widely accepted by the media, which highlighted the values that the WBA promoted from October 29th to November 3rd: unity, solidarity, responsibility and boxing as a vehicle for social improvement.

For this, the presence of great stars such as Evander Holyfield, Óscar De La Hoya, Roberto “Hands of Stone” Durán, Bernard Hopkins, John Ruiz, Roy Jones Jr, Juan Manuel Márquez, Ricardo “Finito” López, Rosendo Álvarez, Antonio Cervantes “Kid Pambelé”, Daniel Román, Yessica Bopp, Jackie Nava, Hanna Gabriels, among other great stars, was vital. They helped us send a message of hope to the neighborhood of “La Honda” in Medellin, where many young people are dedicated to boxing with hopes for a brighter future.

Undoubtedly, this visit to the neighborhood was the event that transcended the most from our convention, not only in the media, but also for all those people who were part of the activity and saw how boxing can encourage thousands of young people to change their lives, exchange their bad habits for boxing gloves and allow themselves to dream of a better future.

During the 96th Convention, we also had the support of the University of Antioquia (UdeA), an institution that provided spaces to host the Medical Seminar and the Forum for Journalists, all focused on giving an increasingly scientific character to our seminars for professional improvement. Of course, the most crowded seminar was the Officials Seminar, attended by those who were interested in perfecting themselves in such a difficult job.

In addition, the most emotional moment of our Convention was the tribute to Antonio Cervantes “Kid Pambelé”, “the man who taught Colombia how to win”, and who saw recognition, which he deserved, of all the effort he put in the ring to become the great Super Lightweight Champion.